Tobacco stalk holder



y 1962 G. LA MOTTE 3,033,603

TOBACCO STALK HOLDER Filed June 16, 1961 \RMWM t v A /4 INVENTOR COLLA'PAY [AA/0T7:

United States Patent 3,033,603 TDBACCO STALK HOLDER Golladay La Matte, RED. 1, Clarksville Pike, Hopkinsville, Ky. Filed June 16, 1961, Ser. No. 117,609 1 Claim. (Cl. 294-55) This invention relates to an improved holder for supporting a plurality of tobacco stalks within a barn or shed for curing.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a holder to replace a conventional tobacco stick, which is capable of holding a much greater number of tobacco stalks.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holder to which the tobacco stalks can be quickly applied or removed and to which the tobacco stalks are attached without splitting or spearing the stalk stems.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a tobacco stalk holder which will greatly facilitate the labor involved in hanging the harvester tobacco for curing and in removing the cured tobacco from the curing barns or sheds.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating presently preferred embodiments thereof, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the tobacco stalk holder;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view thereof, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 44 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary plan view of another embodiment of the holder;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary front elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 7 is a cross sectional view thereof, taken substantially along the line 7--7 of FIGURE 5, and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view illustrating another embodiment of the holder.

Referring more specifically to the drawing and first with reference to FIGURES l to 4, the tobacco stalk holder in its entirety is designated generally 10 and in eludes an elongated rigid bar 11 having a front side or face 12 which is preferably corrugated, as seen at 13. The bar 11 has a groove 14 which preferably extends from end-to-end thereof and which is T-shaped in cross section, as seen in FIGURE 3, including a wide inner or bed portion 15 and a narrow portion 16. The narrow portion 116 communicates with the bed portion 15 and opens outwardly of the front face 12.

The holder 10 includes a plurality of stalk clamping elements 17 each including a block 18 which fits detachably, slidably and nonrotatably in the enlarged grooved portion 15. Each stalk clamping element 17 includes a strand 19 of resilient metal one end of which is secured in any suitable manner, as by welding, as seen at 20, to a side of the block or base 18, so that the subvstantially straight end portion 21 of the strand 19, which projects outwardly from said side of the base 18, extends freely through the narrow groove portion 16. The other end of the strand 19 forms a clamping finger 22 which is spaced outwardly from the front face 12 and which extends longitudinally of the bar 11. The strand 19 has a coil or loop 23 located between the shank 21 and finger 22 for resiliently mounting the finger relative to the shank Z1 and base 18. The finger 22 is longitudinally ice bowed and has a toothed or corrugated inner side 24 which faces the groove 14 and the front face 12.

The bar 11 is preferably formed of a lightweight metal such as aluminum or other lightweight rigid material so that the holder 10 can be made in lengths up to twenty feet and may include up to fifty stalk clamping elements 10 for supporting as many as fifty tobacco stalks 25. To apply a tobacco stalk 25 to the holder 10, one of the spring fingers 22 is grasped and pulled outwardly so that the stem 26 of the stalk can be inserted between said finger 22 and the face 12 and crosswise thereof. The finger 22 is then released so that its spring 23 will bias the finger toward the bar 11 to clamp the stem 26 between the corrugated face of the bar and the corrugated inner side 24 of the finger. To detach the stalk 25 from the holder 10, it is merely necessary to pull outwardly on the finger 22 to release the stem 26. The stalk clamping elements 17 can he slid longitudinally of the bar 11 for varying the spacing therebetween and the spacing between the tobacco stalks. As seen in FIGURE 2, tobacco stalks 25 are supported in hanging positions from the holder 10.

FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a modified form of the holder, designated generally 27, including a bar 28 having a toothed or corrugated front face 29. The bar 28 does not include a groove or channel 14 but, in lieu thereof, is provided with longitudinally spaced openings 30 which extend transversely therethrough and which open through the front face 29.

The stalk clamping elements 31 of the holder 27 each includes a strand 32 of metal having a straight end portion forming a shank 33 which is threaded and longer than the shank 21, and an opposite end forming the clamping finger 34, and an intermediate portion forming a spring coil 35. Each stalk clamping element 31 also includes a nut 36. The shank 33 extends slidably and detachably through one of the openings 30 and the nut is applied thereto and bears against the back side 37 of the bar 28, so that the spring 35 and finger 34 are disposed outwardly with respect to the corrugated front face 29. The spring finger 34 corresponds to the spring finger 22 and the spring 35 corresponds to the spring 23. A tobacco stalk stem 26 is applied to or removed from the holder 27 in the same manner that the stem is applied to or removed from the holder 10.

FIGURE 8 illustrates a third embodiment of the holder, designated generally 38, including a bar 39, come sponding to the bar 28, and stalk clamping elements 459 which differ only slightly from the stalk clamping elements 31. Each stalk clamping element 40 includes a spirally coiled spring portion 41 which replaces the spring 35 and which is interposed between the shank 42, corresponding to the shank 33, and the spring finger 43, corresponding to the spring finger 34. The holder 38 is utilized in the same manner as the holder 27.

Various other modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A tobacco stalk holder comprising an elongated bar having a groove extending longitudinally thereof and opening through a side of the bar, a stalk clamping element comprising a base member slidably and mumtatively confined in said groove and a single strand having a substantially straight end, forming a shank, fixed to and projecting from said base member through said opening of the groove, a clamping finger, constituting the other end of the strand, extending laterally of the shank and disposed longitudinally of said bar, a spring, constituting an intermediate portion of the strand, connecting the clamping finger to the shank and yieldably supporting the clamping finger relative to the shank and bar, said spring and clamping finger being spaced outwardly from said side of the bar and being supported solely by the shank, said clamping finger extending to beyond a part of the bar in which ihe base member is disposed and cooperating with a part of said side of the bar for releasably clamping a tobacco stalk therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent 8 Runtz Aug. 14, Peirce Apr. 7, Harvin June 13, Pleister Oct. 12, Lavarack Aug. 5, Kaufiman Sept. 13, Flora Mar. 24, Aleshin July 7, Tieck Aug. 23, Sadwin Aug. 7,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 15, 

